London Vizayanagaram 1883

(1) Ranken,Charles Edward rev - MacDonnell,George Alcock rev [B00] London Vizayanagaram Criterion, 1883 [Land and Water, 5 Jan 1884] Notes by W. N. Potter in Land and Water, 5 Jan 1884, p18: "The Vizayanagaram Tourney. An unpublished game in this contest between the Revs. C. E. Ranken and G. A. McDonnell [sic]. It will be found a specimen of high-class play on the part of the former; but the wonted skill of the latter suffers from the evil effects of an inferior opening." 1.e4 b6 2.d4 e6 3.Bd3 Bb7 4.Be3 Nf6 5.Nd2 c5 6.c3 Nc6 7.Rc1 Qc7 8.Nh3 d6 Yielding a position that promises everything for White and nothing for Black, which, indeed, is the normal outcome of the Queen's Fianchetto, however much varied, when skilfully met, as is the case in this game. The text move itself is not to be censured; and, in fact, it would appear to be the best continuation at his disposal. 9.0-0 0-0-0 He rightly judges that he will not be able to castle on the King's side; but there is almost a smuch danger on the Queen's side. His best course is to adjourn castling as long as may be practicable. From that point of view we would here play [9...h5 ] 10.Qe2 h6 11.f4 Be7 12.b4 The right style. This kind of attack yields a game won upon theory, unless there be a counteracting attack on the other side, which here there is not. 12...Nb8 If there is any chance for Black, it would be found in even now playing [12...h5 ] 13.a4 a6 14.Rb1 Nfd7 15.Rb2 White has time to make all these formidable arrangements, and the reason is that he is exposed no no attack on the King's side. 15...Rdg8 16.Rfb1 Kd8 17.bxc5 dxc5 18.Nc4 Obviously a winning move, and it is made so by the strong preliminaries. 18...g5 No harm in trying this on, seeing that he is destitute of all other resources; but it yields no such swift attack as might now be useful, and can only be made profitable should there be a slackening of energy in the enemy's operations. 19.Nxb6 Bc8 20.Nxc8 Qxc8 21.Nf2 Bd6 22.e5 Bc7 23.Be4 Menacing Black in such a way as to cause extreme inconvenience. 23...Ke7 24.f5 This at once secures his own position and conduces to the further breaking up of Balck's game. 24...exf5 25.Bxf5 Qd8 26.e6 Finely conceived. Whether the Pawn be taken or not, some profit must accrue from it. 26...fxe6 [His best resource is not to take but to play 26...Nf6 The prospect, however, is by no means a cheerful one.] 27.Bxe6 Kxe6 Giving up his Queen, and presumably by intention. Whether giving her up or not, the game is lost, and indeed his position contains the elements of several lost games. As it is, however, Mr. Ranken's task becomes so easy that we will here take leave of the combatants. 28.Bxg5+ Kf7 29.Bxd8 Rxd8 30.Rf1 Rde8 31.Ng4+ Kg7 32.Qc4 Rhf8 33.Rxf8 Rxf8 34.Qe6 Nf6 35.Rb7 Rf7 36.Rxc7 Rxc7 37.Qxf6+ 1-0

(2) Gossip,George Hatfeild D - Hunter,Andrew [B01] London Vizayanagaram Criterion, 1883 [ISDN 7 Nov 1885] 1.e4 ISDN 7 Nov 1885: "A game ... forwarded to us by Mr. A. Hunter" 1...d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qd8 4.d4 Bf5 5.Nf3 e6 6.a3 Nf6 7.Bf4 Bd6 8.Bb5+ A dull and useless manoeuvre. [8.Ne5 would have strengthened his position.] 8...c6 9.Bxd6 Qxd6 10.Bd3 [>=10.Be2 ] 10...Bg4 11.Be2 Bxf3 12.Bxf3 Na6 13.0-0 Rd8 14.Ne2 0-0 15.c3 Nc7 16.Qd2 h6 17.g3 Mr. Gossip plays a hard dry game, with which it is difficult for a spirited player like Mr. Hunter to cope. 17...Nh7 18.Bg2 Ng5 19.f4 Nh7 20.Kh1 Nf6 21.Rad1 Ng4 22.Ng1 b6 23.Nf3 Nd5 24.Rde1 Ne7 25.Ne5 Nxe5 26.fxe5 Qc7 27.Be4 Kh8 28.Rf6 Quite right. 28...Ng8 29.Rf2 Frightened at his own bravery, he runs away. He ought to have played Ref1. 29...Ne7 30.Ref1 Kg8 31.Qf4 c5 32.g4 Nd5 33.Qd2 cxd4 34.cxd4 Qe7 35.Bxd5 Rxd5 36.Rf6 Qd8 A good move that ought to have won a clear pawn. 37.R6f4 Rxe5 38.Qf2 Rg5 Here he ought to have [38...Qd5+ and then played ...Re4.] 39.h4 Rg6 40.Rxf7 Qd5+ 41.Kh2 Rxf7 42.Qxf7+ Kh7 43.Rf4 Qd6 44.Kh3 Qd5 45.Qc7 Qh1+ 46.Kg3 Qg1+ 47.Kh3 Qe3+ 48.Kh2 Qe2+ 49.Kg3 Qxb2 50.Qxa7 Qc3+ 51.Kf2 Qd2+ And after twenty more moves the game was abandoned as a draw. 1/2-1/2

(3) West,James - MacDonnell,George Alcock rev [C41] London Vizayanagaram Criterion, 03.05.1883 [ISDN 4 Aug 1883] Input from ISDN 4 AUg 1883. Played on 3 May 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 exd4 4.Qxd4 a6 To prevent Bb5 in reply to ...Nc6. 5.c3 [5.Be3 is the usual move] 5...Nc6 6.Qa4 Nf6 7.Bd3 Be7 8.0-0 0-0 9.Be3 Ne5 10.Nxe5 [10.Be2 prolonging the imprisonment of Black's KB, would have been better.,] 10...dxe5 11.Qc2 Ng4 12.Bd2 Bc5 13.Be1 Qh4 14.h3 f5 Bold, and practically sound. 15.exf5 [15.hxg4? fxg4 16.g3 (best) 16...Qxg3+ 17.Kh1 Qh3+ 18.Kg1 g3 and mates next move] 15...Nh6 16.Nd2 Nxf5 17.b4 Ba7 18.Nf3 Qf6 19.Kh2 Be6 20.c4? A slip which gives Black a winning advantage 20...e4 21.Bxe4 [21.Bc3 loses a piece] 21...Qxa1 22.g4 Nd4 Decisive 23.Bxh7+ Kh8 24.Nxd4 Qxd4 25.Bc3 Rxf2+ 26.Rxf2 Qxf2+ 0-1

(4) Dudley,FH - MacDonnell,George Alcock rev [C24] London Vizayanagaram Criterion, 10.05.1883 [ISDN 29 Sept 1883] Input from ISDN 29 Sept 1883, which said played 10 May 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.d3 Bc5 4.Nf3 d6 5.a3 He ought to have played out a piece. 5...c6 6.0-0 0-0 7.h3 d5 8.exd5 cxd5 9.Ba2 Nc6 10.c3 Bd6 11.Be3 Be6 12.Nbd2 h6 13.b4 Weakening his Queen's pawns. His game is not at all well developed. 13...a6 14.Bc5 Dreading the concerted action of the two adverse bishops, he ersolves to rid hismelf of one of them, even AT THE COST OF a pawn. 14...Bxc5 15.bxc5 Qa5 16.c4 Qxc5 17.cxd5 Bxd5 18.Bxd5 Qxd5 19.Nc4 Rad8 20.Ne1 Qd4 21.Rc1 e4 22.Nd2 exd3 23.Nef3 Notwithstanding Blackj's numerical superiority and commanding position, Whgite fights boldly, and keeps the enemy for a long time at bay, 23...Qd5 24.Nb3 Ne4 25.Nbd2 f5 26.Nc4 Nd4 Seeing the difficulty of defending or advaNCING THE qp, bLACK Sacrifices it in order to exchange pieces and obtain an end game with a good pawn plus, 27.Qxd3 Nxf3+ 28.Qxf3 b5 29.Ne3 Qb3 30.Qf4 Qe6 Safest 31.Rfe1 g5 32.Qc7 Rc8 33.Qb7 Nc5 34.Qd5 Qxd5 35.Nxd5 Nd3 36.Ne7+ Kf7 37.Rxc8 Involving speedy ruin, but he has no better course. 37...Rxc8 38.Nxc8 Nxe1 39.Nd6+ Ke6 40.Nb7 Kd5 41.Kf1 Nc2 and White resigned. 0-1

(5) Puller,Arthur Giles - MacDonnell,George Alcock rev [C44] London Vizayanagaram Criterion, 1883 [ISDN, 23 July 1887] ISDN, 23 July 1887 (not in ChessBase database) 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.Bc4 Bc5 5.e5 The usual move is c2-c3 or Castles. 5...d5 Giving Black an immediate advantage 6.exd6 cxd6 7.0-0 d5 8.Re1+ Augmernting the weakness of his position. His best was [8.Bb5 ] 8...Be6 9.Bb3 Qd7 10.c3 d3 Treating the c-pawn with deserved contempt, even at the gratuitous sacrifice of his own life. 11.Qxd3 Nf6 12.Bg5 Ne4 13.Be3 0-0 14.Nbd2 f5 15.Rad1 Rfe8 16.Ng5 Ne5 17.Qc2 Bxe3 18.Ndxe4 fxe4 19.Rxe3 Nd3 20.Nxe4 An ingenious sacrifice almost, but not quite, sound, White, in making his combination, evidently overlooked the mate threatened by the rook. 20...dxe4 21.Rxe4 Bxb3 22.Qxb3+ Qf7 23.f3 [RR23.Qxf7+ Kxf7 24.Rxe8 Rxe8 25.Rxd3 Re1# is the mate referred to in the last note.] 23...Qxb3 24.axb3 Rxe4 25.fxe4 Nc5 26.b4 Nxe4 27.Rd7 Rb8 "And after a gallant and prolonged resistance White gracefully surrendered," 0-1

(6) Ranken,Charles Edward rev - Lambert,Charles James [C01] London Vizayanagaram Criterion, 1883 [CPC 1883 p159] 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.exd5 exd5 5.Nf3 Bd6 6.Bd3 0-0 7.0-0 Nc6 8.Ne2 Bg4 9.c3 Bxf3 10.gxf3 Nh5 11.Kg2 Qh4 12.Rh1 f5 13.Ng3 Ne7 14.Qc2 Nf4+ 15.Bxf4 Qxf4 16.Rag1 Rf7 17.h4 Rc8 18.h5 c5 19.dxc5 Bxc5 20.Ne2 Qd6 21.Kf1 Rcf8 22.Rh4 Kh8 23.Nf4 Rf6 24.Qa4 Qc6 25.Ng6+ Nxg6 26.Qxc6 bxc6 27.hxg6 h6 28.Rxh6+ gxh6 29.g7+ Kg8 30.gxf8Q+ Kxf8 source: The Chess Players' Chronicle, 1883, p. 159 1/2-1/2

(7) Vyse,W. Elliot - Ranken,Charles Edward rev [C65] London Vizayanagaram Criterion, 1883 [CPC 1883 p167; L&W 13 Oct] 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.d3 Ne7 5.Bg5 Ng6 6.Nbd2 h6 7.Be3 c6 8.Bc4 d5 9.exd5 cxd5 10.Bb5+ Bd7 11.Bxd7+ Qxd7 12.Qe2 Be7 13.d4 e4 14.Ne5 Nxe5 15.dxe5 Ng4 16.Bd4 f6 17.f4 fxe5 18.fxe5 0-0 19.0-0-0 Qe6 20.Nf1 Nxe5 21.Kb1 a6 22.Ne3 Nc6 23.Bb6 Nb4 24.Ba5 d4 25.Bxb4 Bxb4 26.Rxd4 Bc5 27.Rdd1 Bxe3 28.Qxe3 Rad8 29.Rde1 Rfe8 30.Re2 Rd7 31.Rhe1 Qd6 32.Qb3+ Kh7 33.a3 Qxh2 34.g3 Qh5 35.Rxe4 Rxe4 36.Rxe4 Qh1+ 37.Ka2 Qxe4 sources: The Chess Players' Chronicle, 1883, p. 167; Land and Water, 13 Oct 1883 0-1